Christie’s begins its Spring auction season for photography with a single collector sale, with lots drawn from the collection of John Bransten. It’s a very small sale, and a highly uneven one – roughly half a dozen lots suck all the air out of the room. While the auction is co-headlined by a vintage Edward Weston nude and a vintage Diane Arbus grenade boy and supported by a pair of vintage August Sander portraits and a vintage Walker Evans architectural view, the rest of the offerings, however intriguing, fall into a background blur. Overall, there are a total of 28 lots available in the sale, with a Total High Estimate of $1955000.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 11 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $66000 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 10 |
| Total Mid Estimate | $196000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 7 |
| Total High Estimate | $1720000 |
The top lot by High estimate is tied between two lots: lot 7, Edward Weston, Nude, 1925, and lot 12, Diane Arbus, Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C., 1962/1963, both estimated at $400000-600000 (images above, via Christie’s).
Here’s the complete list of photographers with two or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Diane Arbus | 2 |
| Julia Margaret Cameron | 2 |
| Frederick Evans | 2 |
| Lee Friedlander | 2 |
| August Sander | 2 |
| Alfred Steiglitz | 2 |
| Paul Strand | 2 |
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 3, Walker Evans, Wooden Church, South Carolina, 1936, estimated at $50000-70000
Lot 14, August Sander, Secretary at West German Radio, Cologne, 1931/late 1940s-early 1950s, estimated at $80000-120000
Lot 22, August Sander, Art Dealer, Cologne, 1927, estimated at $100000-150000
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
